For more than 500 years, Chadō (“The Way of Tea” aka. “Japanese Tea Ceremony”) has played a pivotal role in Japanese arts, culture, philosophy, design and aesthetics.

Textiles, architecture, metalwork, ceramics, lacquerware, flower arrangement, calligraphy, carpentry, food, hospitality — virtually every traditional craft has been shaped by the needs and discerning eyes of tea practitioners.

In the mid-20th century, a pathbreaking group of tea masters left Japan and began teaching tea to foreigners — building tea rooms, tea gardens, and tea societies across the Pacific Rim. The seeds planted by these early teachers have now bloomed into a diverse, global network of tea communities — some of the oldest and largest being in Southern California.

In his Los Angeles debut, multidisciplinary artist and filmmaker Aldo Schwartz shares three projects that explore the role of Chadō in a changing world — as meditation, performance art, transnational culture, sustainable ecology, and community.

In our rapidly changing world, being present and finding genuine connection can feel increasingly difficult. Tea provides a space for people of different backgrounds to come together and create moments of solace, harmony, and connection. Each moment of the tea ceremony is performed with meticulous and intentional detail to enhance the shared joys of drink, food, and company.

To interact with the tea ceremony is to step outside of the everyday rush, to enter a slower and quieter space, and to see our lives in a broader context — rediscovering the network of relationships, both human and beyond, that have made us who we are today.

What are some rhythms that you have created to find intentional connection?